parrilla verses barbecue grill in Uruguay
Almost every dwelling in Uruguay has a "parrilla" and it seems to be an important part of their social life.
However, a parrilla in Uruguay is definitely not a barbecue grill!! It is sometimes even almost a small house built around a HUGE brick grill capable of roasting a camel (no exaggeration!), sometimes with a full bar, elaborate dining facilities, etc.
At a minimum, it is a huge brick and iron bar structure with at least a 4 feet by 4 feet cooking surface.
They refer to these structures as "parrillas."
Is this use of the word specific to Uruguay, or are there a range of meanings for the word? If there is a range of meanings, what words would I use when referring to a Uruguayan "grill" to a Spanish speaker from elsewhere?
1 Answer
The term "parrilla" should be understood in any country, since it comes from "parra" (grating, latttice), an old term from uncertain origin. "Parrilla" refers to a kind of grille (i.e. metal bars used to cook), and even a grill (notice how similar these words are in English too). You will hear this term in Spain in any kitchen, and occasionally, even in some barbecues. This word has a more "Spanish" sound than "barbacoa", so many people prefer it.
"Barbacoa", on the other hand, is pretty much the same when there are bars and you roast in your garden, but this word was taken from the Taíno (a language originally spoken in Cuba, Jamaica...), barbakoa, meaning "framework of sticks". Spanish took it as it was, and English borrowed from Spanish and altered its sound and pronunciation to get "barbecue". The Spanish dictionary defines "barbacoa" as a "parrilla usada para asar al aire libre carne o pescado" ("parrilla" used to roast outdoors meat or fish).
